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The Pérussis Altarpiece

Circle of Nicolas Froment French
1480
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 601

The subject of this large altarpiece, the adoration of the empty cross on Golgatha, is unusual. According to a documented inscription on the lost original frame, the painting was made in 1480 for Aloisius Rudolphe de Pérussis, whose family coat of arms and motto are displayed on the side panels. One of the kneeling donors, presented by Saints John the Baptist and Francis, may be Aloisius himself. Originally from Florence, the Pérussis or Peruzzi took refuge in Avignon after they were exiled by Cosimo de’ Medici in 1434. In a remarkable way, the altarpiece combines the atemporal and spaceless field of gold ground from earlier devotional images with a landscape—in this case, a faithful topographical view of Avignon.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Pérussis Altarpiece
  • Artist: Circle of Nicolas Froment
  • Date: 1480
  • Medium: Oil and gold on wood
  • Dimensions: Three panels, each 54 1/2 x 23 in. (138.4 x 58.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mary Wetmore Shively Bequest, in memory of her husband, Henry L. Shively, M.D., 1954
  • Object Number: 54.195
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Madonna and Child, Luca Signorelli (Luca d'Egidio di Luca di Ventura) Italian, Oil and gold on wood
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Madonna and Child, Vincenzo Foppa Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
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Saint John on Patmos, Hans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien) German, Oil, gold, and white metal on spruce
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